Counter Culture

[hyper_dermic]

So lately i have been drinking 90% espresso... its not that i dont enjoy coffee anymore, but im still trying to learn how to pull a good shot.. and that takes practice. So for the past month or so, every chance i get ive been pulling shots from my new machine.
Results have varied from dredful sink shots, to fantastic ristrettos.
From what i have been reading, ristrettos may actually be Easier to pull than normal shots. So i have been concentrating my efforts on them. Not to mention i really do enjoy that intense syrupy bitter-sweet flavor.
My affinity to them started with a trip to 9th street espresso in NYC.
They serve triple ristrettos with beans from counter culture roasters.

Now that i had a benchmark to shoot for it made things much easier.
So i have been ordering Espresso Toscano from counter culture coffee.

I find its a very nice espresso blend. it seems more forgiving than black cat with an added touch of sweetness. It lends itself perfectly towards those syrupy ristrettos.

The nice part about coffee is the variety, finding myself in a pattern i decided to mix things up. Since my GF found a decaf that she really likes both as a coffee and as an espresso (counter culture's mexican decaf) ive decided to order from them again, but this time im giving their espresso Aficionado a shot. I just recieved the package yesterday, so i have not tried out the espresso yet.. thats another review

today ive decided to go back to coffee.
Ive been drinking alot of the ethopian misty valley that i have been homeroasting.
But i like to see what the "pros" are up to!
Counter culture is offering El Puente - from Marysable Caballero in Honduras. They have dubbed it the "purple princess".
its a limited run they get every year. Since they seem to think very highly of it, so i gave it a shot.

Upon initial inspection the beans seem to be roasted to a light city. A nice even milk chocolate color. The dry aroma was VERY appealing. I knew i was in for a treat. I went ahead and fixed up myself a double in the aeropress. The initial flavors were just as advertised. "lavender, plum, grape, and incense". Nice complexity, wonderful high notes. The aftertaste was smooth and well balenced, and it lingered for a bit longer than i expected. Not as short as alot of the other south american coffees i have tasted, it actually stuck around for a while. Enough to really contrast those fruity flavors. I was really enjoying this coffee when all of the sudden it was gone! i wanted to sit and really savor the flavors, but i guess i was enjoying it so much i just guzzled it down! I suppose thats a testiment to how tasty this coffee really is. Sadly i know my limits with caffiene, and if i have another double cup from the aeropress, i will get "sick".
I reccomend this coffee.. its very close to perfection in a cup.
The price ain't too bad either, im pretty sure its under $12 a lb.